sportbible logo

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Everton Could Have Signed Harry Maguire, Andy Robertson And Erling Haaland For Less Than £25 Million

Everton Could Have Signed Harry Maguire, Andy Robertson And Erling Haaland For Less Than £25 Million

The Toffees seriously missed a trick here...

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Everton had the chance to sign Harry Maguire, Andy Robertson and Erling Haaland for less than £25 million but didn't receiving backing from above, the club's former director or football has claimed.

Steve Walsh has been speaking to The Athletic in an in-depth interview and touched on his time at Goodison Park, where he spent just under two years before being let go.

And the well-travelled scout has gone on record to say he was about to thrash out a £20 million double deal for Maguire and Robertson, who were both at Hull City.

Image: PA
Image: PA

He also revealed he was on the verge of sealing a 4 million swoop for Erling Haaland, who would have been just 17 at the time but has since gone on to become one of the hottest striking properties in world football.

"While I was at Everton, I offered them Andrew Robertson and Harry Maguire deals, when they were at Hull, and it was worth £20 million for the pair, Everton wouldn't take them," Walsh told Rob Tanner.

"I had a deal done for Jonny Evans too before he came to Leicester, but again they wouldn't take him. Erling Haaland, the striker with Salzburg, I had him and his dad at the club with a deal done for €4 million. The club wouldn't back me."

Prior to his stint on Merseyside, Walsh was at Leicester and responsible for scouting the likes of Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante - all unknown quantities who went on to steer the Foxes to an unforgettable Premier League triumph in 2015/16 under Claudio Ranieri.

Image: PA
Image: PA

Vardy, who he snapped up for £1 million from Fleetwood Town in Non-League, told him to stop signing French players at one point but was made to eat his words.

He added: "When we won the Championship we had Anthony [Knockaert] on one side and Riyad Mahrez on the other. Anthony could be very frustrating as a player because you never knew when the ball was coming in.

"He would check back three or four times before he crossed it. I remember Jamie coming to me once and joking, 'Don't sign any more of these French players!' because he was sick of Anthony.

"I signed Riyad and N'Golo Kante after that. I saw Jamie at his villa in the Algarve not long ago and I had a little joke and reminded him of the time he said don't bring any more of those French players in and then I signed Kante. He laughed, 'Alright, alright!' But Anthony was a part of Leicester's success."

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Harry Maguire, Football News, Erling Haaland, Premier League, Everton, Andy Robertson